Hummingbird Heartbeat
by smile1
Summary: A Camille/Moose one piece. It's the night of the Halloween Moose and, fortunately, Moose shows up when he does. Angry or not, he's the one Camille calls to for help. All the frustration cumulates in a conversation about sex.


**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the _Step Up_ movies. All I own is my imagination.**

**A/N: **I have almost an unhealthy thing for dance movies and I watch all of them, good or bad, although the _Step Up _trilogy is one of my favorites by far. _Step Up 3_ was amazing; the dancing was just unbelievable and I wish I were that talented, the message was positive, and I loved that there were so many characters. Although, my favorite pairing is that of Camille and Moose. First of all, I just adore Moose and think he is one of the cutest, but sexy characters out there and Adam Sevani should definitely do more movies. :) Anyway, I was searching for some good Camille/Moose fanfiction, but came up short, so that is why I wrote and uploaded this story. I thought the idea was a good one when I started writing, so I hope you'll appreciate this pretty fluffy piece. The pairing's cute, so the story's cute. :)

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**Hummingbird Heartbeat**

"_I'm c__onstantly craving for a taste of your sticky sweet."_

Moose knew he was late, incredibly late, and he had nothing but the truth to tell her. It wouldn't suffice as a good enough reason for letting her come second, because it wasn't a good reason. It had just happened and he had let his feet lead him instead of his head, while his heart was with both.

The door to Camille's dorm room was wide open so he went right in, heading for her bedroom. He found her half sitting and half lying on the bed, fast asleep in her Halloween attire: a pair of faded and torn jeans shorts, a white oversized flowing top that nonchalantly bared one of her shoulders, a pair of silver and sparkly pumps, and a silver band around her head.

He provided himself with a good but careful eye full before attempting to wake her. His manner was affectionately gentle as he touched his hand to her cheek, saying her name. She turned her head away, making a light moaning noise before opening her eyes. They instantly landed on Moose and it took her only seconds to realize what had happened and why he had that guilty look on his face. She sighed. "Moose…"

"I know."

"You promised, Moose," she repeated his name, sounding genuinely disappointed in him. "After the conversation we had and you practically begging me to change my plans and take you to the party, give you another chance."

"Cam, I know." He ran a hand through his unruly curls. "Something just came up."

"Something always does." Camille sighed, leaning over to look at the alarm clock, and got up.

"Where are you going?"

"To the party, or what's left of it. I mean, I wore heels for the first and probably the only time of my life, so I might as well go and show people," she said while walking, turning to face him when she had reached the doorway, a hand on her hip. "People who actually are my friends and who wanted to go to the party with me…. People who didn't just say it to say it."

"Camille, come on," he tried, but she shook her head.

"No, I'm done waiting for you, so if you want to dance, then dance because you just got more time on your hands to do so." She left the dorm room, angry as she stomped down the hall, though she couldn't put as much fervor into it as she had intended due to her heels. She had to decrease her pace somewhat if she wanted to stay upright.

She glanced back at her dorm room and the door she had left open, startled by the sudden collision as she rounded a corner without looking. Her body lightly bumped into that of someone else and she only stumbled back a step or two, recovering quickly from the contact. The guy across from her wasn't as swift as she wobbled unsteadily on his legs, spilling his beer in the process. He cursed under his breath, but stopped when he managed a look over at Camille.

He plastered a grin on his face and tipped the cowboy hat he was wearing in the spirit of Halloween. "Aren't you a pretty sight," he purposely drawled, the accent thickened by the slur in his voice.

Camille shot him a small and polite smile. "Yeah, sorry about running into you like that."

"Oh, don't worry about that," he waved off her apology. "Any particular reason you were in such a hurry, if you don't mind telling me?"

She crossed her arms, slightly uncomfortable now. "Actually, it's kind of personal and I don't know you so…"

He nodded. "Don't worry, I get it. I'd like to get to know you." He took a step towards her and offered her his hand. "I'm Nathaniel, Nate for short."

Camille didn't uncross her arms, but nodded in acknowledgment. "I have to get going. I'm late for a party." She went to pass him, but he stepped in front of her, blocking her way. "If you're already that late, why even bother." He shrugged.

"I promised my friends that I'd go," she gave him an explanation, even though she didn't owe him one. She tried to get past him for a second time, but he didn't budge and made it impossible for her.

"I could be your friend. In fact, I think we could become incredibly close if you just gave it a chance." _That was when he touched her_, putting his hands on her upper arms and she jumped.

"I'm not interested," she told him firmly. "Not in us being friends, or anything, so—"

"You're only a freshman," he cut her off. "And this is what, your first or second college party, so you probably don't know how it works, but—"

Now she was the one to interrupt him boldly, "I think I can figure out for myself how college works. After all, I did get in here. I don't really know how you did though," she softly said to herself. "You're drunk," she stated the obvious.

Nathaniel only grinned, holding his hands up and to the side, palms upright. "So what if I am. It's college; no one cares."

"My college experience is obviously different from yours."

He grabbed her and she gasped, not having expected him to really go that far. "I usually don't go for the mouthy ones, but your looks compensate for that, so do us both a favor and—"

"Let go of me," Camille said, pulling her arm back and testing his grip, which was firm.

He didn't let go, but only moved even closer. "What did I just say?"

"Let go of me!" she repeated, much louder this time.

He chuckled. "Like I said, it's college and no one cares; they're too busy partying, something we should be doing as well."

Realizing her way out, she began backing away from him step by step, knowing that he would move with her since he still had his hands on her. Once she caught sight of her dorm room, she turned her head to the side and yelled, "Moose!"

"Hey," Nathaniel warned her, tugging at her, but he was too late.

Moose had heard her call for him, his senses fine-tuned to her by now. He stuck his head out of the room, his eyes searching for her and almost instantly locating her at the end of the hallway. He frowned at the other guy's close proximity to her and his constant attempts at breaching the distance completely between him and Camille. She was obviously nervous and a little scared; as far as he knew, she had never fallen victim to some guy's unwanted attention before.

He left the room and hurried over to where they were. "Hey," he made his presence known, placing his hand on Camille's shoulder as he came up behind her. She shrunk into him. "Everything okay here?"

She shook her head. "I was on my way to the Halloween party and I wasn't looking so I ran into him, and now he won't let me pass." She uncrossed her arms and dropped them down to her sides as she eyes Nathaniel who was now looking at Moose.

"I mean, man to man, would you let a thing like this just walk past you? Not that I don't like watching you walk," he now directed at Camille. "You have amazing legs, nice and long, just the way I like them. They come in handy when—"

"We get it," Moose stopped him from finishing his sentence. "But she's obviously not interested, okay?"

Nathaniel shook his head. "She spilled my beer, man. She owes me."

"I don't owe you anything," Camille jumped in to defend herself. "It was an accident, one I apologized for."

"Yeah, plus it doesn't look like you need another beer," Moose thoughtlessly remarked. "So really she did you a favor, dude. You should thank her really."

"Moose."

"I don't like mouthy people," Nathaniel reminded Moose. "I suggest you shut up before I make you." He pointed at him, his finger swaying just a little, and Moose held back a laugh. He had positioned himself so he was standing slightly in front of Camille, an arm protectively held out in front of her. "And I suggest you go to bed and sleep it off."

"I also don't like people telling me what to do, especially not when they're freshmen." Nathaniel snorted and then Camille caught his attention again. "I'll go if she goes with me."

"I'll pass," she immediately blurted.

For a second or two it looked as if he was going to get angry and Moose mentally prepared himself for a fight, knowing that he wasn't an excellent fighter and usually avoided psychical conflicts whenever he could. However, to both Camille and Moose's surprise, Nathaniel did nothing but point at them again. "Her loss." Then, he sauntered off and Camille let out the breath she had been holding.

"Dick," Moose muttered, keeping an eye on the guy until he had disappeared fully out of sight, after which he slung an arm around Camille's waist, keeping her close as he began leading her down the hall.

"Where are we going? My room's the other way."

He nodded, not changing directions. "I know, but you're staying with me tonight. I have a single room to myself and it gets lonely at nights."

She didn't argue with him, not really. "What about my stuff, I need something to sleep in."

"I think I have a shirt that'll fit you," Moose lightly joked.

She smiled. "Okay."

The walk over to Moose's room was a quiet one and as soon as they walked through the door, they fell into an automatic and comfortable routine. He opened his closet, pulled out two shirts and two pairs of sweatpants, and threw her one of each. Afterwards, he instantly began changing, shrugging off his jeans.

Camille respectfully turned around, though she could still see him in the mirror. She watched him pull the sweats on over his boxers and then take off his hoodie. She finally looked away when he reached for his t-shirt, swiftly exchanging her shorts for the sweats, pulling the cords together tightly so the pants would stay up. She glanced at Moose again, stealing a look. She blushed at where her mind and eyes were leading her and focused on something else.

Camille looked at herself in the mirror, her shirt now off. Underneath she worse a silver colored bra, one she had been talked into by her new girlfriends. They made her feel better about her smaller chest by telling her that because of that she had a much larger selection of bras available to her, so she had bought the silver one and underwear to match. It made her feel better wearing it for no real reason. Of course, no one had seen it and she doubted anyone would for a while. And the person she wanted to eventually see it, she was too self-conscious to show it to. Not that Moose reciprocated the feelings in any way or even knew about them, so what was she expecting really. _But he should pick up on the signs. _He was a dancer and body language came like a second nature to him.

"Yo Cam, you okay back there? You're taking your time changing."

A light blush spread across her face and she made a quick grab for the shirt he had gotten her. It was light pink. "Yeah, I'm fine… but this shirt isn't though," she remarked while tugging it on. "I didn't know you wore pink."

Moose turned at the same time she did, catching her smile with one of his own. "Yeah." He scratched his head. "Something went wrong when I did my laundry. My mom always did that for me."

Camille rolled her eyes. "Mama's boy." She briefly touched her hand to his now covered chest in an affectionate manner, as their eyes met. "You sure you don't mind me staying here tonight?" she asked while flopping down on Moose's bed on her stomach and with her legs and toes wiggling.

"I'm the one who offered." He switched off the light by the sink. "Besides, I wasn't going to leave you alone in your dorm room. What kind of friend would that make me?" He raised both hands in defense as he walked over to where she was lying. "And before you point it out again, I know I haven't been the best of friend to you lately, and I even admit to being a little self-absorbed and in my own bubble, which I—"

Camille shook her head. "Forget about it, Moose."

"Okay…" he said dropping down on the bed beside her, his back against the headboard and his feet where her head was.

"No." She shook her head again and sat up, cross legged and hands in lap. "It's okay. I was being selfish, wanting you all to myself when it's normal for you to make new friends, us to make new friends. And just because dance is no longer a major part of my life, doesn't mean that you should be any less passionate about it." She looked at him, strands of hair now loosely hanging over her shoulders. "I know you mean well and if anything, tonight proved that you're always there when it counts. And, despite everything, I'm really glad you were here tonight."

"Me too," he concurred softly, frowning. "Cam, that guy was an ass and I wish it was just because of the alcohol in his system, but I think he's just a dick in general."

She smiled at his words and a wave of tender emotion washed over her. "I'm glad you turned out the way you did, Moose."

They shared another smile before Moose started making sniffling sounds and wiped away an imaginary tear or two. Camille laughed and so did he, opening his arms wide. "Come here Chameleon."

She uncrossed her legs, got on her knees, and dove into his protective embrace. She nestled into him, his arms tight around her while she had one hand pulling at his shirt and the other tucked away underneath it close to his heart, an intimate gesture. It wasn't sexual, although lately her heart had begun beating faster the closer she was to him and her mind occasionally wandered off the beaten path during moments like these. It would be easy; a slip of the hand would change the mood. It was a risk, but at least, then, she would know if he felt the same and saw her as a girl.

If only she knew that he did, but he didn't want to risk their friendship and cause awkwardness. He had a good enough view of her body from here and he was only a man after all, despite the fact that he didn't let his sexual cravings lead him. Dance did and it was satisfying enough, most of the time. But he liked girls and while he came across plenty of them at the local dance clubs, their hearts would always beat most passionately for dance and for the attention it got them, some anyway.

They'd get bored with the cute but slightly geeky dancer kid. He'd been there before, but Camille's heart could beat for him. She was like him, a dancer, geeky in her own unique way, and definitely pretty, _even if she didn't see it; he did._ The way she moved her limbs was seductive in itself and he loved her hair when it was messy and loose like it was now. He also liked how she was a perfect fit in his arms. He was getting soppy, but beneath his lanky dancer exterior: the colorful wardrobe, curly locks, and beanie (he was even wearing it now), he was a sensitive guy.

"You know, you looked good tonight… in your Halloween costume." He gently nuzzled her hair with his nose and rested his chin on top of her head.

"Oh yeah, I looked just like one of the Olsen Twins, all blonde and girly." She laughed, squirming as she pulled back a little so she could look up at him. "At least I bothered to dress up. Who did you go else?"

Moose chuckled and adjusted his beanie. "Well, unlike you I don't have this need to be anyone else. I like who I am."

Camille playfully slapped him on the chest, before stealing his beanie and dropping it onto her own head. "How do I look?"

"Better."

She nodded, smiling, and pulled off the hat and rolling off him and onto her back. "It still looks best on you; I don't have the hair to go with it." She threw the beanie in the air and Moose caught it. "I'll take that as a compliment," he told her.

"I wish I was so comfortable with myself and the way I look. I mean, not that I want to be, you know, like an actual Olsen Twin, but it would be nice to, I don't know, be fawned over… for the right reasons, of course and not because—"

"He wanted to have a quick and easy lay."

She frowned at his harsh word choice and turned her head so she could shoot him a look. "I'm not easy." That was all she said before breaking their eye contact and remaining quiet.

So did he, for a little while anyway, until he couldn't contain his curiosity or mouth anymore. "You're a virgin, right Cammie?"

"What?" she exclaimed, her eyes big and round as the shock registered at his personal inquiry.

"I just assumed because you've never really had a boyfriend—"

"By choice," she quickly added. "I was too busy with school and dancing. And the free time I did have, I spent with you."

"… and we tell each other everything, right?" Moose finished his earlier question, calmly eyeing her.

Camille rolled her eyes. "Are you a virgin, Moose?"

He cleared his throat a few times and shook his head, the topic too awkward to talk about really, but he was the one who had decided to tread onto this territory in the first place. There was a thing like over sharing, especially when feelings were involved in long and comfortable friendship.

"Then I guess we don't tell each other everything." Camille rolled onto her side, turning her back to him. "Whatever, can we just go to sleep? I'm kind of done with today. Today sucked."

"Yeah, okay." Moose threw his beanie onto the floor, sighed, and turned off the light. She got underneath the covers, while he did the same, although he stayed on his back, one hand behind his head and the other arm lying stretched behind his best friend's back. He sighed again. "Camille, look I—"

"It's just," she began at the same time, "why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged, wiggling his fingers. "I didn't think you'd want to know."

"Then, why do you want to know?"

"I… I don't know. I just do, I guess."

She nodded, rubbing her cheeks against her arms as she struggled with her words, "How… how many— I mean, were there a lot?"

He made a face. "Oh no! Just one girl. The last one I dated, Sophie. I didn't tell you because I didn't want things to be weird between us and between you and Soph."

"And since?"

"No," he answered. "What about you?" He shifted onto his side as well, his hand supporting his head as he watched her.

"Isn't it obvious?" She squirmed and he smiled. "There's nothing wrong with that, Camille." He inched closer and wrapped an arm around her, hugging her.

"Don't hug me!"

"Why?"

"Because we're talking about sex and you're hugging me when you can't be hugging me."

"Well, I am, just to up the awkwardness some more," he told her in good humor, tightening his hold on her to lighten the mood.

She giggled, she actually giggled and it was ridiculously girly and refreshing and relieving to hear. It was a good sound, particularly when regarding tonight's events and it reminded them that, at the end of the day, they always had each other. They had their own little bubble to retreat in to and could shut out the rest of the world while in it.

Another silence fell and he listened to her breathing as it slowed down to a point where he figured she had fallen asleep, but she hadn't. Camille spoke up again, her voice soft, almost delicate as it breached the silence. "Moose, do you think that my… lack of sex," she decided to word it as, "is my fault, like is there something wrong with me?"

"Don't be absurd." He nudged her. "You're all of these good things wrapped into one person. You shouldn't feel bad; it's not like I'm the honey that attracts all the bees, or chicks in this c—"

"Women," she corrected him. "And you do okay."

"I do okay," Moose repeated, smiling. "And so will you when you really decide to put yourself out there."

Camille tangled her fingers with Moose's and pressed them against her stomach as she let out a breath. After a few more seconds, she let go of his hand and turned over to face him instead. "I'm fine right here," she confided.

They shared a brief and telling look before she burrowed her head against his chest. Moose pulled the blanket over them and snuggled into her, unable to help himself as he touched his lips to her forehead before closing his eyes.

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**Please review? **This is my first Camille/Moose piece, but I doubt it will be the last. I just have an obsession with the character of Moose and his hair, so this is the result of that. I'd really appreciate some feedback, good and bad is both welcome since only practice makes perfect. Well, that's it from me for now, hope you liked it and fingers crossed for a fourth installment of the movie!


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